


Survivors Guilt

by Spankycomic



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Dubious Consent, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Mind Games, Multi, Sociopathic characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:27:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21549865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spankycomic/pseuds/Spankycomic
Summary: Evan discovers he doesn’t  necessarily have to kill all of the survivors and decides to push his luck to get up close and personal.
Comments: 19
Kudos: 81





	1. Playing with fire

**Author's Note:**

> this chapters mostly just a set up for the fic. longer chapters to come.

Evan had been in the fog for a while. Well, more than just awhile, long enough that his memories of the past were shrouded in their own fog, ever shifting and impossible to pin point. Whether it was the entity’s doing or his own failing mind, Evan couldn’t really find the will to care. 

He’d gotten good at what he was sent to do, catching and hooking the survivors was instinct by now, leaving his mind to wander most of the time. Rarely did he have to pay serious attention anymore, trap placement, generators, and hiding spots were burned into the back of his mind from over exposure. He was, to put it simply, bored out of his mind. Every once in a while he’d try something different, but he was ever hairy of the threat of displeasing the entity. 

Small changes were fine, but big changes were risky, and brought with them the threat of failure and ultimately in the end immense pain. 

He’d discovered something on accident though, in one of the trials that lasted way too long. He’d let his mind wonder after hooking the last survivor, only to find he’d miscounted. 

One of them escaped through the hatch.

Other survivors had escaped before of course but not because he wasn’t paying attention. He had waited for the punishment only to receive...nothing. 

Not a whisper. 

It piqued his interest from there, and he began experimenting, testing what corners could be cut. The events in the trials didn’t matter to him, only the ending, and so he started seeing exactly what the entity would allow. 

Allowing passively two or more survivors to escape was a no-go, and he had shrapnel in his legs to prove it. It didn’t seem to matter if they bled out, escaped through hatch or through the gate. He could leave one as long as all the others were dead. 

Easy enough but after a few trials the survivors began to notice. Their behavior changed as it got down to them or another, it became a waiting game for them, and Evan knew he needed to stop that and fast. 

It wasn’t just his performance that the entity judged, but the whole. Evan knew what would happen if the survivors stopped their part in this little game the entity had created, but he wasn’t willing to find out personally. 

He’d seen plenty of survivors lose hope, only to disappear without a trace. It’s not that he cared for this batch any more than the last but this wasn’t losing hope, this was defiance, and Evan of all people knew what happened if you tried to take things into your own hands. Truth was he was afraid of what would happen if  he was the one to disappear. 

He’d driven plenty of survivors closer to the final death, but the longer he was here the more he noticed that the entity did not have favorites. 

He was just as expendable as the survivors and the thought shook him to his core.

He puts aside his little project, going back to the old way. It doesn’t take long for the survivors to correct their behavior but every once in a while they wait selfishly while their teammates hang from a hook. 

It didn’t surprise him, he was well aware that the survivors had their own feelings and relationships with each other. 

It was evident in trials, he had noticed certain survivors would go out of their way to help one that they liked or cared for while others would abandon them to die. Other times he’d catch them purposely leading him to the ones they didn’t like, or sabotaging their escape from him. 

Until now, it didn’t matter to him, he never had time or care to do more than take note of the current rift between survivors as he chased them down. 

Now though, he was curious, a dangerous thing in itself, what would happen if he were to pick a favorite. 

It brought him to the trial at hand, taking more care to size up which survivor would be a good fit for his new-found curiosity. This time it was the fast one, the healer, the tired man, and the brute. he’s sure they have names but before now he hadn’t cared to remember them. 

The red head was out of the question, she was cruel in her movements, taunting him every chance she could, just begging him to try to chase her. Of course, he could catch her, there wasn’t a single one of the survivors he couldn’t catch but the work it took to catch her often proved infuriating. She boiled his blood at the best of times, though he respected her contribution to the well being of the team. 

The tired one wouldn’t be a good option either. He knew the man was already a favorite of another killer, though in a entirely different sense than for why Evan was picking a favorite. He knew better than to favor a survivor that had already been claimed. 

Laurie too wasn’t an option. It was a thin line with Laurie, and everyone was careful not to interact with her more than they had to, least they have to deal with her pesky brother and his obsession with killing her for himself. 

The brute was simply too much like him for Evan to want to study him. He’s sure that once the entity had its fill of the man he would join their ranks. Beat the compassion out of him if there even was any left. 

Of course, he’d never seen it happen the whole time he was here, but the brute would be a good fit given his temperament. 

While he’s debating he sees the healer edge around a tree and shrub. She was always so sneaky, seamlessly blending in to her surroundings, giving Evan a hard time to find her unless she was caught out in the open. 

He could pick her, after all she was the one who escaped most of the time, but he wasn’t sure if he would be able to save her for last and even then find her when the time came. 

No, he didn’t just want to let his choice of meat escape...he wanted to get up close in a way he’d never done before. 

Nobody in this trial then. 

He hooks her and goes on, never one to stay to watch the entity receive its prize. Never one to waste time gawking while the others ran rampant through the area, like a pest problem. 

Who else was left then if not these four? 

He runs down the list of them, though a few he has to remind himself are no more. Old survivors thrown away ages ago, time in the fog blends together too easily. 

He figured the gambler might be a good bet, with how often the older man took risks. He didn’t see him all too often though, and that left a large portion of trial. 

He could try the little Asian girl, her clothes were always bright and easy to find. What was she, a sports player? 

He isn’t sure. 

He’d come to accept that time had left him behind, as more and more survivors appeared and disappeared with things he’d never seen, strange clothes and even stranger hair styles. As he finishes up the trial he wonders if perhaps his estate still stood in the real world. If the blood sweat and tears to build the damn thing was ultimately a wasted effort. 

He’s brought back to reality as the entity tugs at his mind, and he looks out over the next survivors.

They look tired and filthy as always, though he supposed he probably didn’t look much different. The juvie, the bumpkin, the damn saboteur...and the paper pusher. 

He’d forgotten about him. He was easy to forgot about, unlike the others he never caused any real trouble for Evan. He was weaker than the rest, the only thing the boy had going for him was when he was around the others worked twice as hard just to carry him. 

The boy was a mock leader, exactly the kind of person Evan would have hired to watch over the miners. Submissive enough to take orders and because of the lack of authority present the workers would have warned up to him. 

A grin creeps across Evans face as he prepares for the trial, eyes on the boy. The boy would do just fine. 

Just fine indeed. 


	2. Rack and Ruin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for clicking! Feel free to leave a comment, wether it be you enjoyed this chapter, what you’d like to see in other chapters or just the word why over and over

Evan plays with the boy in the trial. Of course, he’s still got a job to do, but he believes he’s managing it well. He doesn’t hook the nervous man, instead leaving him on the ground to bleed. 

The others are weary of getting too close to him immediately, and he’s sure it’s because he’d once used the injured ones as bait. If Evan didn’t catch them healing then a trap would on the way out. It was a good method at the time, though he often found himself pulled too far from the dying survivor to reach them before they either escaped from a trap or healed fully. Maybe if he was a bit more patient he could have waited in the area but there were always things to do, he couldn’t just sit and twiddle his thumbs while others pushed their way towards escape.

It takes them awhile to get him off the ground, though Evan doesn’t mind, any time they used to wait and listen before healing the boy was wasted time on their part. He’s gotten two whole generators left unattended back down to a reasonable level when the very first goes off. It didn’t matter too much, trials almost never ended without at least one of the damn things sputtering to life. 

He’s just making his way back when one of the survivors makes a fatal mistake. He’s a little surprised when the juvie jumps from the second story of a house, nearly landing on top of him. 

It clearly wasn’t the plan, as her face contorts to fear, and she stumbles as she hits the ground, feet struggling to gain purchase on the grass. Her mistake earns her a deep gash in her back, and as she twists and rushes forward he gives chase. 

It’s easy enough to catch her, she hadn’t expected to land on top of him and her frantic pace shows it, she was running in a blind panic. He’s quite pleased with himself as he catches her and hooks her, spinning on heel to see what else he could find. 

She wouldn’t be up long he knew, the girl might have been rugged, but she seemed to have more friends than foes in the group. He knew she was a resourceful part of the team, and as such the others would get her down before the entity grew impatient. He’s on his way back towards a generator when he hears it, the sickeningly sharp snap of a trap being disarmed. 

Abandoning his route he heads straight for the sound, hoping to catch the bastard red-handed. By the time he gets there though the trap is in pieces, metal bits strung around on the ground. He doesn’t have time to mourn the loss of his work as he hears another trap snap close by. 

He’s going to kill him. 

It isn’t long before he finds the bastard himself, hands prying at the traps small springs and bolts, but before he can break this one Evan is on top of him. 

The saboteur has always been a pain in Evans ass, the moment the boy was in his first trial he wrecked everything Evan had. There had been times Evan had pushed himself to gain favor to the entity just to chop the boy up himself. There was never any glory in it but at least there was guts, and that was enough for Evan.

He’s thankful the boy isn’t very fast, more suited to hiding than getting away. It doesn’t take long to have him on the ground, but even then he grits his teeth and glares. He’s on a hook, with a extra special slice carved into his leg, soon enough. 

Punishment for defiling his trap. 

He knew it didn’t matter, that the entity carefully balanced and adjusted how much the survivors were injured, but he knew it caused just a slight extra bit of pain, followed by the burn as the entity cleaned up and closed the wound. As much as he’d like to watch the boy waste away on the hook he pushes forward, listening carefully as he approaches generators. 

He finds one nearly running on the third generator. He’s quick to put a stop to that, opting to kick it rather than go immediately after the little bumpkin sitting on it. Her clothes were bright enough he’d have no trouble finding her. The juvie is freed from her timeout, but as he starts towards the direction the bumpkin went he noticed that they haven’t gotten the boy. 

He’s faced with a choice, leave the girl and attempt to catch the others healing or continue after the only one who hasn’t been hooked. There’s a slight moment of pause before he’s made his choice, and as he turns the corner of the house he’s glad he made the right decision. 

The girl is huddled right beside the bush, seemingly counting on him to press the others rather than go for her. a laugh rises in his throat as he hits her, and he watches as she darts into a porch. He knows that porch, and he knows there’s no way off of it. It puts a bit of a pep in his step as he corners her, relishing in the mistake. She pleads with her eyes, hazel darting from his face to the freedom behind him to his cleaver. He gives her a moment to run down the risk, knowing full well she wasn’t getting by. It takes one meaty blow to her shoulder to drop her, and soon enough she too, is on a hook. 

Nobody has released the saboteur yet, and he can feel the tension in the air as the entity waits to claim its prize. Perhaps the boy had done something to piss the others off, or the juvie was preoccupied with the weak link. He finds out soon enough when a generator goes off, but the man is already struggling to keep the entity off of him. ‘Good’ he thinks, the boy didn’t have long for this trial which meant there was only so much more damage he could do. 

As he’s headed between the saboteurs hook and the popped generator he runs into his boy. Clearly on his way to release the other from the hook, Evans not having any of that shit and gives chase. 

It was always fun watching him run, the way he nervously glances over his shoulder, leaving moments where he wasn’t looking where he was going. Sometimes he gets lucky and the paper pusher will stumble over a branch, or even better, run face-first into a wall. It was always so entertaining to see it happen, with how much was on the line any mistakes or missteps could mean death. But not for his boy, no not today. 

There’s a gasp as he slices through his back, and the boy immediately doubles over and gives it his all to get away from the sharp pain inflicted on him. Evan knows, and he’s sure the boy does too, that it’s never enough. He’s got him on the ground in a few more feet. 

The saboteur has been freed in just the nick of time, and he doesn’t doubt they’re on their way to free the bumpkin as well. Good thing he didn’t have to hook the boy, it gives him time to head back without looking for a hook to place him. He catches them right as they pull her off, though the man is quick to flee once Evan steps on the scene. 

The juvie takes a hit and they scatter like rodents. He chooses the juvie, knowing she’s been doing most of the saving. It doesn’t take long to catch her, as she runs down the street in a straight line, no doubt looking for any pallet she can find. As he hooks her he glances around, trying to decide where to go. He needed to set more traps but with how the survivors were acting this trial he wasn’t sure if it would be a waste of time or not. He figures why not, after all they’d only gotten two generators done the whole time. 

He makes his way to the traps, scooping them up and placing them near objects of interest without being so close that the survivors would notice them right away. It wasn’t about catching them before they could get to the generators, pallets or windows, but after. 

Once they thought they were safe they tended to not even look for the traps. 

He’s got about four down around the map before his boy is ever picked up. 

They still believe he’s baiting. 

A loud boom signals to Evan that nobody saved the juvie, and she struggled till she couldn’t anymore. No doubt because the others were too busy with his boy, or even themselves. He continues on his route, finding a generator barely ticking away. He kicks it anyway, and makes a mental note to cut his route short to double back on the generator to check it. 

On his way though he hears something, a little rustle of leaves in the park. He stops to check and is delighted when he catches sight of movement not too far from the wall. It feels like a gift from the entity when that familiar green jacket comes into sight, clashing with the rock. Even better is the boy is still injured, and as he lunges and catches him he realizes this is close to where he’d left the paper pusher to bleed. 

The bumpkin then, was hiding away. A relief washes over him as he hooks the saboteur and the entity carries him away. The fun part was just beginning. He doesn’t have to search long, he finds his boy in the house closest to where he’d hooked the man. Seems he didn’t stray too far. 

As he passes the threshold the boy scampers up the stairs on all fours, turning a corner. There were a few windows in the upstairs, though he doubted the boy would get away. As he turns the corner though, he’s hit with a pallet. Pain flashes from him face down to his toes and as he stumbles back a noise escapes his throat, horrible and ugly. The pallets in bits in mere moments but that’s all it took for the boy to slip away. 

He’s not pleased, and as he makes his way out of the house he finds no trace. A generator goes off in the distance though, and he sets his sights on that. He’s still not happy when he makes it to it, searching the nearby generators for the bumpkin. They rest quietly, and he’s about to lose his mind to how pissed he is both of them have disappeared when a scream rings out. It doesn’t bring his mood up, but it’s a welcome sight to see the girl struggling desperately to pry the jaws of the trap off her leg. 

Her hands are covered in blood, and he catches the sight of the glowing embers burning cuts back into solid skin before being sliced again over and over as she struggles. She doesn’t make it out, and as he slaps her into a hook he sets his sights on finding the boy. No doubt the bumpkin will struggle against the entity, they almost always do, and that gives him a little extra time. 

The first thing he does is to take a trap and find the damn hatch. Lucky for him it’s in the street, and as he sets a trap near the sidewalk he hears the telltale sound of painful whimpering. It’s all he needs to find the boy by blood and sound, and as he goes down the bumpkin gives up. No point in delaying the inevitable he supposes, she doesn’t have much hope for the boy getting off and making a daring rescue.

The boy crawls desperately for the hatch but Evan picks him up for the first time, carrying him further away from it before drop him. The boy would get his freedom, but not before Evan had his time. 

He really studies the boys face, the lines in his brow from constant worry and the indents from his strange glasses, which now lay a bit crooked from having been dropped. He sees the boys eyes locked on the hatch, never breaking as his hands scrape across the pavement in an effort to drag himself to it. His hands bloody and fingernails chewed nearly too far. 

Evan crouches to get closer and that surprises the boy. He stops his efforts, eyes racking over Evan in an attempt to understand what’s going on. Evan can still see the fear in his eyes, the quick rise and fall of his pained and desperate breaths as he bleeds out on the ground, near feet from his salvation. For the first time, he reaches out-hand finding his way to the boys hair. He feels him flinch, no doubt expecting the blows to come and end him. When they don’t he’s more confused, and to Evans surprise more frightened. This was new, probably to the boy as well, and Evan can’t help but run the boys hair through his fingers. It’s not really soft so to speak, but it is greasy. It’s slick but bristly, and Evan wonders if it’s from filth or if that’s just how his hair was. His hand goes down, fat fingers catching on the rim of his glasses. He hears the sharp intake of breath, and the boy does his best to jerk his head away. Evan just rights his glasses, letting his fingers feel the material. They’re not metal, he finds, but a flimsy sort of plastic. Fitting for the weak man they rested on he supposed. It’s only when evan touches his skin though does the boy speak. It catches him off guard to be honest, hearing the boys voice clear and not muffed by the campfire and what lurks around it. “Please.” It’s pitiful sounding but the plead hits no nerves, strikes no emotion from Evan. He’d lost that long ago. Maybe even before he'd been brought to the fog. As he tilts the boys chin up he notices how pale the boys face is, and at first he believes it’s from fear, but as the boy shakes he realizes his mistake. His eyes seemingly bulge, and he gives one last quiver before going limp, quietly Evan hears the gurgle of blood in the boys lungs, and he just notices blood peaking out from his lips. He’d bled to death. Evan had left him on the ground far too long.

He’s a bit disappointed, but he stands and closes the hatch, eyes on the sky as the trial slowly burns away around him. 

Next time then. 

He had all eternity to get it right.


	3. Bold as Brass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly this chapter took so long because I was debating whether or not to have nsfw scenes in this fic. I reread everything I’ve wrote and what I was in the process of writing over a dozen times trying to decide. In the end I decided not to put any in this chapter. With how everything currently is I’m not sure I could make it anything other than upsetting. If y’all want some nsfw you better let me know, because otherwise I have half a mind to leave it out entirely. I guess this chapter also serves as a warning, if y’all do. There’s no room for left for emotion in the fog.

Evan would be lying if he said he didn't get a little excited every time he was faced against the boy. He worked harder, faster, and more focused when he found himself in a trial with him. He still had to chase the boy down to get his time with him but the boy was slowly learning. He didn't run as fast as he used to. 

Couple of times he'd just let him go at the door, practically dumping him on the threshold. Other times he'd take him straight to the hatch. He didn't particularly enjoy those times, though he knew from experience the way to break a man down into something usable was to earn trust, however ill-intended. It was working too, the boy ran less, and once it got down to just him he didn't put up much of a fight. He was still fearful and ever watchful of Evans movements, but once all the others lives had been extinguished he had accepted no harm would come to him. This gave Evan time, and time in trials was valuable. 

At the moment he had the boy pinned in a dead end hallway of the warehouse. He sat against the wall, arms wrapped around his knees as they both stared at each other. It was quiet, but he watched as the boy went from afraid, to nervous, to confused and finally bored. 

It was a wondrous sight, seeing those emotions play out plainly on his face. It was always his face that memorized Evan, the bareness of it. A voice breaks his focus, and Evan is a little surprised by how steady it sounded compared to the other times he'd heard the boy speak. 

"Can I go now?" 

It was still timid but there was no fear, no whine. 

No respect. 

Evan steps closer and the boy quickly shuffled to his feet, clearing expecting to be taken to the exit. Evan had no such plans. His cleaver hits the wall beside his ear and Evan leans in, breath heavy. The boys breath immediately speeds up and Evan watches in delight as his face twists into panic. 

With one hand he hoists the boy up by his shirt, and through ragged breaths he hears the boy start his chatter. Pleas and begs and apologies. 

Evan had half a mind to inflict some pain, beat some respect into the boy but he holds it in. It didn't matter if the boy resented him or not, but it was in his best interest to keep the boys trust. At least what he could. 

He drops him suddenly and as the boy hits the ground coughing and sputtering Evan crouches down over him. Watching. When the boy doesn't look up at him Evan makes him, hand pulling his hair so that his head is tilted back. There's tears in his eyes but that doesn't concern him. 

"Why are you doing this?" The boy rags out and Evan wonders for a moment, why is he doing this? Boredom? It seemed likely, though something in the back of his mind whispered that he wanted back what the boy had. He scoffs at the thought, pushing it down. 

He'd made his choice, and he knew this is what was left to him for it. There was no changing it and he knew first hand what trying to change it got him. 

He doesn't speak, partially because he didn't care to and partially because he wasn't sure if his voice would even hold. That and the silence gave him power over the boy, steady and unbreaking. 

He lets the boys head go and it returns back to the ground and he takes a single step back. He was curious as what the boy would do now. He doesn't move for a moment, breaths heavy and shaking. His small frame racks in a way Evan recognizes. 

He was crying. 

Pitiful. 

Evan taps his foot, and the sound carries loud and clear off the concrete walls. A sign to get up. The boy doesn't for a moment, whimpers catching in his throat from the tears. He's mumbling as he gets his arms under himself, preparing to push himself up off the ground. 

Evan tilts his head, leaning a bit to catch the broken words. He finds they're not curses at him, or even pleas. The boy is Pepping himself up to stand and face the much larger man. 

It's then that he catches a name from the boy, and the sound of it makes Evan straighten up a bit. 

Dwight. 

He rolls it around in his mind as the boy staggers to his feet. He was aware the survivors had names of course, though he hadn't cared to learn them, just as they hadn't cared to learn his. It was unspoken that the two sides had little to tie them together, and in the scheme of the entity names weren't needed. But now he had his boys. 

Names were important outside of this hell hole, they carried legacy, power, favor. 

Evan snaps his fingers down in front of him, the same way you'd call a disobedient dog, and just like that the boy is in front of him. His fists are clenched like he's prepared to fight but the rest of his body shows submission. Evan could live with that. As gently as he could his hand comes up, cupping the boy-Dwight's-cheek. He flinches away from it but when no pain comes he allows it to happen. Evan catches his eyed darting up to his mask before away from him, face deeply troubled. He runs his thumb over the boys cheek, smearing a bit of grime on it but nonetheless wiping the wetness off. 

His fingers curl around the boys locks, easily scratching at his scalp with soothing gestures. It trips something up in the boy and he breaks down sobbing again, head dropping low to hide his face. Evan pulls the boy towards his chest, and without struggle he falls into him, eyes wet and body wracked. 

There was no emotion in Evans gesture, but it didn't seem to matter to the boy as he gripped at the killers overalls, face hidden against the slick material. 

How interesting. 

He lets the boy cry for a moment before scooping him up, heading up the stairs and towards the door. He feels the boy hold onto him as he walks, hands careful of the many jutting scraps of metal scattered across Evans back. By the time Evans made it to the door the boy has cried himself into silence. Adjusting his grip he powers the door, waiting for it to fully open before stepping towards the exit. 

When he stops the boy doesn't make a sound, and doesn't fight as Evan carefully peels him off. He sets him carefully down on his feet, pushing his shoulder to turn him and patting him towards the barrier. The boy looks back at him, eyes swollen and face puffy but doesn't say a word as he step across to where Evan couldn't follow. He's gone in a few moments into the fog and towards the brightly burning campfire. 

Evan is relived to find that he's relocated to the shack, and not sent immediately to another trial. The smoke burns his nose as he steps out of the dissipating smog and back onto solid ground. 

A glance tells him he's alone and as he goes to sit against the wall he tries out his voice. 

It's ragged and rough from disuse but he keeps on until it's recognizable as human. The boys name falls over and over on his lips as he forces it out until he's satisfied with how it sounds. 

A small noise comes from the doorway and as Evans head jerks to see who it is he materializes his cleaver. 

The darkness gives no indication to the intruder is, and as Evan stands up he squares his shoulders. He was bigger than most of the other killers, built to fight and made to hold his ground. He's about to make his way to the doorway when a familiar figure steps out, feet taller than him and shoulders broad. Evan relaxes a bit as the taller man eyes him, no doubt aware of Evans weapon and general distaste of being bothered. Evan ducks his head in a nod as he backs down, returning to his spot near the corner. Only then does Phillip move, head tilting curiously at the thicker man. 

He doesn't pay him much mind, though he's aware that the treelike man most likely heard him. A few moments later he's joined on the floor by him, lanky limbs spread into a crisscross fashion. 

A hand comes out to rest on top of Evans and without thought Evan turns it so that their fingers were interlaced. He couldn't remember exactly why he did this, what the significance to holding the mans hand held anymore, only that the man beside him seemed to enjoy it. He figures it's something to do with when he was new, unsure of the limits and the reasons for being here. 

It didn't matter much, Evan continued to hold his hand and he guessed he'd continue holding his hand until the entity threw one of them away. 

There was a bit of emotion, deep down inside him, that bubbles up to the surface whenever they locked fingers, old as time and certainly just as worn. The man shifts to lean on him and Evan let's him, a deep hum escaping his throat. The feeling grew though there wasn't a place for it in Evans mind. 

Camaraderie? No, deeper than that. Sharper. 

Love then, perhaps. 

He wished he could pin it down, the feeling that sat so heavily on his heart and mind. Wish it had some other meaning other than the calm moments they had. It felt like every bit of it had been vacuumed away, leaving only bits and traces of the feeling to linger. 

He wondered if the other man felt the same, or if his caring nature continued just as strong as ever. 

Evan turns his head to find cold unblinking eyes watching him. Evans hand tightens around his, eyes locked in a stare. Slowly but surely though the taller man lets go of his hand, removing himself from Evan. The feeling is gone just like that, and soon enough so is Philip. He's left in the shack, alone. 

He wonders if perhaps he could bring out the same feeling in Dwight. 

He'd like to see what it looks like.


	4. In a trice

Evan notices something new in the trials. Others have began to catch on, and more often than not he finds the survivors lead him directly to Dwight. Other times he catches them ratting him out in lockers and behind rocks. 

He'd seen them do this before a few times, though it usually meant a spat happened between survivors, but never to this level and this many against the one. 

Dwight's still does his best in the trials, but it seems the others are excluding him from the team. Even with the amount of times they pointed him out, lead Evan directly to where he was hiding, or sabotaged him the boy never once gave his teams position away. It was a bit frustrating to Evan, but it wasn't like he could force the boy to do the very same things the others were doing to him. 

He wasn't sure what the survivors were punished for, if they were ever punished at all. He wonders if he himself was their punishment. If so he would do a damn good job of it. He was ruthless in his actions when the others would give the boy away. Swung down harder, and grabbed more viciously. Left a few extra gashes for the entity to close up when he hooked them. It was tiring, his back ached and his ears pounded but he kept at it. He knew the boy knew it was because of him. He started peaking out behind bushes and trees when they were hooked, a look of shame written across his face. Usually Evan would give him a good smack if the boy attempted to rescue the others from the hook, but he started letting him. He was counting on the boy making it up to them, so he could ease up and not be left with a deep ache during and after trials, but no such thing happened. When he'd finally be alone with the boy he was tired, sore, and in a bad mood. 

Dwight wasn't dense, he caught on to Evans temper and how to avoid it quickly. Though today was a bit different. He'd allowed himself to sit on the steps of the basement, the boy just below him. His head hangs down, hand twisted over his shoulder to press between shrapnelas he waits for the ache to lessen back down to a normal level. That's when he catches the boy trying to slide by him. He's quick to grab the boys arm, jerking him a bit in the process. Dwight makes a sharp noise, other hand going to Evans to pull at him. 

His grip is too tight, Dwight's face tells him. He's twisted his body a bit in pain but Evan holds steady for a few moments longer before easing up. When he does the relief from the boy is both audible and visible, his shoulders falling and a deep breath escaping through his nose. He's very still, eyes searching the mask for some reaction, something to tell him he's in the clear of Evans wrath. When Evan doesn't move or lose his grip the boy takes a chance. 

His hand comes up, slow and nervous as if Evan would bite him if he moved too fast. Slowly it touches down on his shoulder, but he keeps his touch light, barely brushing the killers skin with his fingertips. He's still afraid, and his eyes dart from the mask to his own hand repeatedly. Slowly but surely he presses down, rubbing a small circle. Evan catches on after that and lets the boy go, watching as he slowly side steps his hulking frame to move a bit behind him. 

His hands are gentle, and his movements slow, not wanting to set him off. It was a bit of a shock to Evan, other than breaking down in his arms the boy hadn't shown any interest in touching him. It's a nice surprise though, and Evan finds himself leaning into the touches a bit. The boy moves on to more difficult parts, careful of the shrapnel and hooks jutting out of his skin and the lacerations littering his back. 

He can feel the boys eyes on the back of his head, weary still of his actions. 

He wonders if the boy thinks this changes anything. If this small act of kindness reaches any part of Evan deep down. 

It doesn't. 

A small pleases hum escapes Evans throat and for a moment the hands are gone. He doesn't have to look behind him to know it's scared the boy, but soon enough his hands return a bit less gentle and more focused. It's quiet and peaceful, the only sounds are the occasional caw of crows outside, the creak of the shack in the wind and the heavy fall of Evans breaths against his mask. That is until Dwight presses too close to a deep cut, sending shooting pain down Evans back and in his head. 

The noise that comes out of Evans mouth is disgusting raw and deep, he stands quickly, twisting to face the boy. Dwight falls back in shock and fear, landing on his ass on the floor as Evan looms above him. It's quiet and shaky but Evan hears a soft "I'm sorry" from the boy. 

It doesn't matter. 

He lifts the boy up by his tie, letting go once the boy has made it to his feet. He takes a step back, hands in front of him as if to defend himself. Once again Evan is in control. Normally a pain like that would be met with rage and an intent to kill but Evan lets it pass. 

He must let it pass. 

So he stands there, shoulders rising and falling with angry breaths as the feeling fades. Dwight doesn't run, but his eyes tell Evan he's scared and that he wants to. When he calms down enough Evan holds out his hand to the boy expectantly. Dwight is a bit confused, glancing around before stepping forward and taking it. As soon as his hand is filled Evan grabs him and pulls him close, bent down to be in his face. 

"NO." It comes out ragged and deep, but Evan is proud his voice held. The confused shock on the boys face is priceless, and he gets to watch as Dwight works out what he heard in his head. He hadn't really spoken to him before, and it was definitely taking Dwight on a trip that he could. 

He gives the boy a bit of time to process before he picks him up and throws him over his shoulder, carrying him to the hatch. He dumps him there, a little rough but the boy hits the ground beautifully. Dirt smeared on his arms and a bit on his chin from the drop. He looks up at Evan before sliding down into the hatch. It swings closed and locks, and Evan stands still as the world is torn down and burned away before being replaced at the survivors camp. 

His boy isn't one of the ones being called and while Evan feels disappointment he's also relived. He needs to think.

The entire trial he focuses on the events that had occurred, reliving every flick of emotion in the boys face and his movements. He breaks them down, categorizes them, and replays them till he's got a good solid memory of them. It was clear the boy was getting closer to him, he wouldn't have touched him otherwise. 

Evan wonders how close. 

His thoughts are only broken by the occasional pallet and later screams from the hook. He runs on auto pilot, mind far enough away to distance himself from the trial but close enough to out maneuver the survivors. His mind flashes old memories at him as he plans his next meeting with the boy. Compares situations, outcomes, responses. He felt like he had enough control over Dwight, felt like he could judge his reactions and predict his thoughts quickly enough. 

The boy was an open book no doubt, wide eyes and a face that projected his feelings clearly and effectively. Fear would be the big factor. The boy was very fearful, nervous and unsure in every movement he made, it would be foolish to not take that into account. He'd been playing with the boy, balancing his fear for a long while now, but this would require more than just remaining calm and gentle. If he was going to close the gap he'd have to be very very careful. More careful than he'd ever been. This wasn't the final step, he had no plans of tossing the boy. The whole thing could ruin everything he'd worked towards. Every held breath, every time he'd held his temper, every mockingly kind touch. It could all be ripped ragged and destroyed if he wasn't careful. 

The boy was willing to touch him unprompted, but how much? How far could he push him? Could he push him? He hooks the last survivor and walks away to find more. He only realizes he's finished when the landscape around him burns away under his feet, and a thick smog slowly encircles him. When the smoke thins he's met with another trial. A few faces he hasn't seen in awhile as well. 

The gambler stands with that ever cocky grin, fingers flexing on a toolbox. The detective stands tired with a yard long stare into the trees, like if he focuses hard enough Evan will appear to him. Another young man is there too, though Evan hasn't quite figured him out yet. He clutches a first aid kit in his hand, keeping it close to his side. His white coat shifts slightly as he moves, though there was an air of authority about him even if the man was clearly nervous. 

The man hadn't been there long, as far as he could tell-it was hard to keep track of time but Evan clearly remembered a time when he wasn't present with the others. He came after the bumpkin if his memory was reliable. It didn't matter too much, as the last survivor was his boy. He would have to make a choice very quickly, then. He could think on it all he wanted but without action nothing would move forward. It felt rushed when he made the decision. 

As the trial started he had to remind himself he had the entirety of the trial to come up with a solid plan for making this work. That thought soothed him a little as the smog burnt through his body, replacing him into the Institute. His frustration spiked as his vision cleared, knowing he had hard work ahead of him. 

He couldn't rely on his traps here, the many hallways and maze-like structure combined with the openness of the floor meant traps would be easily seen and even easier to get around. If a path was blocked with a trap they could easily find a way around, and as much as it angered him he hoped they would waste time disarming them. 

He sets out to work, weaving his way through rooms and hallways to the first generator. It sits silently as he expected, but that didn't mean it would stay that way. He sets a trap a bit away from it, knowing it was likely for nothing. Still though, he holds out the hope that they would come from a different direction and when he interrupts them it would be the direction they flee. 

A loud blast sounds from a gen not far, and Evan has a starting direction. When he gets there the generator chugs half heartedly and there isn't a survivor in sight. He knows that doesn't mean they aren't there. He checks around, finding no scratch marks, no breathing, absolutely nothing. In earlier days he would have assumed they had ran off before he got there, but from experience his mind tells him there would be a trace with the amount of time it took for him to arrive. So he starts checking lockers. 

He gets lucky on the second locker. The black man is there, and as he scoops him up he's pleased. He gets him to a hook and with a blood curdling scream from the man he turns on heel to kick the generator. One hook and no gens finished was a promising start, but he can't waste any time if he wants to succeed. 

He starts his route, checking generator after generator, all deathly silent. The white coat man still hangs from a hook even as he's far across the building. 

He wonders if they're hiding. 

There wasn't another generator with any progress, and no signs of any other survivors other than a chest that had been opened in the office. If they weren't doing what they were supposed to be, then what were they doing? He's making his way back to the hooked when the entity grows impatient. The man fights it off but there's no rescue in sight. Have they left him to die? He continues to look, opening lockers here and there. As he looks he grows frustrated, coming up empty time after time. 

What were they doing? 

Where were they? 

Did the entity make a mistake? 

It wouldn't be the first time something had gone wrong on its side, at times he'd had trials with only three survivors, or worse, they were all there but one of them stood an empty husk, all but their mind present. It was an easy hook, but the others had no idea and would nearly sacrifice themselves only to find their friend was nothing more than flesh standing on one spot. 

A boom sounds out, letting Evan know the man had been taken by the entity. He isn't sure what to do, but he continues to patrol. After some time he does find another survivor, though the sight isn't what he wanted. 

The gambler lies face down in the corner of a room, eyes empty and body limp. He doesn't feel anything for the man, but notices his toolbox has been taken. There was someone alive, somewhere. Two survivors dead, one chest opened and a toolbox looted. No generators touched. It was a game of hide and seek then. He knew the others must keep moving, otherwise the Entity would call attention to them. He'd have to keep an eye out for crows on lockers just in case. His patrol skips around, checking less generators and more of the rooms that lie in between. 

If they were hiding then they likely wouldn't be around any generators, because that's where he would be looking. If he wanted his plan to work he'd have to find the detective first, if he found his boy first it was likely the other would simply not save him, and try to escape himself. At least this meant he could place traps in peace. 

He places them around corners and by windows, in the halls and anywhere that he thinks they might go.

When he runs out of traps he does a patrol of generators. He quickly becomes bored and frustrated. He's unable to let his mind wander as he searches, and as time grows long he's filled with hate. For the survivors, for the entity, for everything that lead to this trial. He nearly rips locker doors off their hinges as he checks them. He knows he could end the trial. Press his own blade to himself and be free of this god forsaken building in a mere instant. He'd of course face punishment for it. Harsh punishment for stealing away the entity's game. As time continues to tick away he seriously considers it. He hates himself for it. 

He's so frustrated that he misses his own trap and as it snaps closed around his foot he lets out a horrible sound, filled with pain and anger. It's loud in the halls, seemingly echoing off the walls of the disheveled institution. As he pry's the jaws of it off his foot he doesn't bother to be careful. It slices into his hands, bringing more pain but burning away quickly. It reminds him that the entity is still watching. So he continues. 

He keeps checking generators and lockers, checks rooms and hallways. It's only by chance that he decides to check the basement. He goes down, ignoring the buzzing in his head of the entity. He checks the lockers at the entrance. Empty. When he turns he does notice something is out of place. The chest is opened, and in it sits a toolbox. It could be that it was opened and left, the item being deemed as not needed. He moves to look closer, and to check the locker by it but before he can cross the floor something darts towards the stairs in the corner of his eye. He spins and catches sight of scratches going up the stairs. He should feel relief from having found one of them, but he still feels anger. He's quick to go back up the stairs, and follow the burning embers. He rounds the corner and is faced with none other than his boy. He's at the end of the hall, eyes wide and a flashlight gripped tightly in his hand. Evan stops at the other end of the hall. He's aware there's a trap nearby, and if he gives chase there was a slim chance the boy would step in it. The boy is waiting though, seeing if Evan was going to break the silent deal that had been made. 

He gives no indication of tipping Evan off to the detective, though Evan knows he could if he wanted. The boy simply wasn't a traitor, and while Evan could admire that it frustrates him in this moment. Evan takes a step forward and the boy turns to run. "Dwight." His voice is firm but raspy, quieter than he'd like it to be. It's enough to stop the boy in his tracks though and that's all that matters. 

He looks shocked, maybe a bit confused. Evan takes another step towards him and is relived when Dwight doesn't run. He doesn't fail to notice his eyes darting around for an escape as Evan creeps closer slowly. His grip on the flashlight tightens but he doesn't use it. Evan manages to get in arms length to him, close enough to hit him if he wanted. He holds out his free hand to the boy but the movement spooks him. 

He runs, turning fast and barely watching where he was going. Evans quick to follow, content with chasing if that's how it had to be. He turns the corner too sharp and the sound of a trap slicing through his pants echoes off the walls along with his cry. It's easy enough to pick him up from there, and as he gets him over his shoulder he wonders what he should do with him. 

If he hooks him the detective would no doubt wait for his death to escape, and it would break the trust the boy had of him-however frail it was. But he was the only one Evan had found in such a long time. The boy kicks at him, struggling to get away. He doesn't doubt that detective was using this time to position himself where he thinks the hatch would appear. 

He drops Dwight in a small room, void of hooks. Normally this would be a chance to look for the last one but Evan was tired of looking. He crouched down to the bleeding boy, tilting his head up. There's fear in his eyes but when Evan strokes the top of his hair they close. He doesn't want him to run again, but he doubts his ability to tell him so. He does what he can, soothing the boy with stokes of his hair and small scratches at his scalp. "Dwight." The boys eyes open again, brows furrowed but eyes clear of fear. He's still a bit shocked and confused but that doesn't matter to Evan. He stands up and picks the boy up once again, more gently this time. If he couldn't find the detective he'd have his time on the entity's time. 

The boy doesn't struggle this time as Evan carry's him across the rooms till he finds a room with only two entrances and no windows. If Dwight were to try to run again he'd only have one direction to go. He stands still and gives the boy time to recover before placing him down. He's still bleeding but he's no longer bleeding out. He stands up, taking a glance around the room. Evans aware the boy notices there was only one doorway available to him if he were to try to escape and run again. 

There's a gurney against the wall and it doesn't take much to push the boy to it. The boy stands a bit ridged, leaning against it. He's essentially trapped between it and Evan. His next move would have to be careful. He lifts up and hand, placing it on the boys face and runs is thumb over his lips. His boy is still nervous but the gesture stops him in his tracks. Evan refuses to remove his mask but he needs to do something to show his intent. He settles on leaning down to press his forehead against the boys.

Dwight sucks in a quick breath at the closeness but Evan doesn't stop there. His hand goes down and finds the edge of his shirt, sliding his hand to touch the skin underneath. He's aware the boy can see his eyes through the mask this close up, and he finds the boy meeting his eyes for the first time. They bore into him, wide and vulnerable and filled to the brim with emotions. He isn't sure what the boy reads from his eyes, having long ago figured he'd lost all emotions in them. When he slides his hand forward and down the boys breath hitches and a hand comes up to press against his chest. There's no real push in it, but it stays there. He keeps his eyes on his as he moves to fumble with the boys belt. That seems to stir the boy into action, because he flinches and pushes with his hand, face twisting away from Evan. Evan stops, slow and careful to turn his head back to face him. 

The boy doesn't meet his eyes, biting his lip and staring down instead. He removes his hand and instead grabs the hand placed on his chest and brings it back to the belt. He leaves it there and steps back a bit, hands going to his own overall latch. It clicks with a soft noise, and that half falls and folds at his front. 

It's nowhere near enough to get his overalls off, but he waits and watches the boy. His hands shake but he does finally unbuckle his belt, refusing to look up at the larger man. Even in the dark of the room Evan can see a faint blush on the top of his ears. The boy doesn't do more than unbuckle the belt, hands leaving his front to hold onto the gurney behind him. Evan accepts that and goes to work on his overalls. It wasn't an easy thing, there were no latches for that side, being held up only by the hook lodged in his back. He knew there wasn't a way to get the hook out, he had tried before. So he has to settle on grabbing the leather fabric and yanking. The pain is unbearable, and his mind screams at him to stop. It's hard to ignore but he'd faced much worse much longer. What he's left with is a sharp pain in his shoulder and finally the snap of leather. He's dully aware he could have used his cleaver to cut it as he waits for the pain to lessen. He just didn't think about it and now it was too late. When he can stand to move his arm again he pulls at the fabric till it reaches his hips. He doesn't fail to notice Dwight now paying attention, though Evan doubts he's in awe as even his front is covered in open wounds. 

He's right, because the boy inches closer to him and places a hand right under one of the deeper ones, eyebrows furrowed. Maybe the man feels pity for Evan, as he traces his hand around the cuts. Evan doesn't really care if he does or not, pity wouldn't take them away or lessen the ache of them. It was background noise by now. 

Evan grabs Dwight's hair and that gets his attention fast. It's not painful, but the tug to look up at him is clearly uncomfortable. He stares at the boy a moment before pushing the boy down. Realization flickers on Dwight's face as he hits his knees but the boy doesn't try to escape from Evans grasp. When he does let go the boy stays in his place. He tugs the overalls down a bit more, and there it is. Dwight's nearly face to face with Evans manhood, and the sight sends a deep blush across the boys face. 

Evan wish he could say he was hard and ready, but with so much time and unable to bring up every much emotion at all it was nearly impossible for him to be hard. Nearly. He grabs Dwight's hair again and brings his face closer. The boy doesn't put up much of a fight, other than turning his head a bit to avoid being pressed directly on Evans cock. His breath flows over it heavily, laced with nervousness and heat. With a little nudge Dwight finally gives in to his fate. He takes the soft organ into his mouth, face crinkled. It doesn't bother Evan much, he'd expected as much, if not more from the boy. Dwight's mouth is warm and wet, and give small suckles that send a shiver down Evans body. He couldn't remember the last time he'd fucked Phillip as both of their minds and bodies grew weak and the sensation and want died down. He did know that his boys mouth was softer than Phillips, though the boy was much less eager. 

After a few moments Evan does grow hard, and he's amused at the look on Dwight's face. What would be average is much bigger to the boy due to Evans height and size. He has to go from the whole thing to about half of it. Evan doesn't let go of his hair, keeping him in place with gentle tugs to keep him going. One strong suck brings a moan from Evans throat and it seems to startle the boy. 

Evan rewards him with swipes of his thumb in the boys hair. It seems to stir the boy on and suddenly there's actual effort being put into the blowjob. He doesn't let Evan guide him as much, taking in more and funneling his tongue underneath the cock in his mouth. He speeds up a bit, taking a bit more each time and Evan can only think of how much of a good boy he is. 

The pleasure sweeps the pain from Evans mind, lighting up in his head. He presses Dwight closer, nearly choking him in the process but the boy manages to take it. He gets out a satisfied hum, causing the boy to look up at him. There's some tears in his eyes and a bit of snot on his face but Evan suspects it's from the deep thrust rather than any sort of crying. He grins, knowing the boy likely can't see it and suddenly thrusts hard into his throat, gagging the boy. Dwight lets out a whimper and places a hand on Evans hip but as he thrusts hard into his mouth and presses the boys head deeper on his cock it grips at the flaps of fabric rather than push. He fucks his mouth hard, breath heavy as he watches his length disappear into the boys mouth. 

His teeth catch a few times but the pain is nothing to Evan. He only pulls the boy away when the pleasure builds enough to be reliable. 

The boy lets out a wet cough, sucking in breaths of air. He glances up at Evan, glasses crooked and face a mess. Saliva runs down his mouth making his chin almost shine, the slight flush to his cheeks highlighting streaks of tears and snot. His hair was all sorts of directions from the pulling and tugging. 

Truly a mess. 

He gives him a moment to catch his breath before he picks him up and sets him on the gurney. As Evan settles close it's clear the boy is still nervous, but there's no fear in his eyes and it pushes Evan forward. He carefully pries Dwight's pants off, dealing with his shoes once he reaches them. The man lets out a little whine when Evan removes his undergarments but otherwise he stays compliant. 

The boy is hard, though he's clearly embarrassed by it, as once he's bare he draws himself back in protectively. He won't meet Evans eyes, but when Evan brushes his hand up Dwight's leg he's rewarded with an almost unnoticeable shiver. Without much work Evan settles between his legs, hoisting them up a bit. The boys legs wrap around Evans sides and he can't help but find it amusing. Red faced, vulnerable and barely able to meet Evans eyes, yet his legs cling and hold on. He lets out a hum, hands running up Dwight's thighs. Without much thought he lines up, and slowly pushes himself inside the boy. 

The first thing he notices, other than the sickeningly pitiful noise Dwight makes is just how easy it was. Other than slight resistance at first, there's no burn of the entity repairing anything, no ring of muscles stopping him, no friction of unpreparedness. He wonders what the boy had been up to before the trial, or if he just happened to be an easy lay to begin with. He doubts the second when Dwight lets out a whine and his hips roll up, legs squeezing at his sides. That's all he needs to get moving, and oh does he move. 

The first thrust is hard, using his weight and height to drive into him. It earns him a yelp and another moan, though it's cut off when the pace doesn't slow. The gurneys wheels creak as the breaks are tested, threatening to jerk into the wall from the movements. Dwight can't seem to keep his head up, though he tries. Each thrust jerks his whole body, and Evan is more than pleased when Dwight suddenly gets loud. 

He keeps at it, breath heavy but if he was made for anything it's stamina. He's quick to realize it might become a problem when Dwight's breaths become faster and his body tightens with a whine. He cums, fingers digging into his palms. A full body shiver wracks him from head to toe and Evan slows. A moment later he's back to whining, hips twisting at the sensitivity. Evan doesn't stop, only keeps his thrusts less harsh, eyes glued on the boys face. 

He watches in glee as slight discomfort turns more intense before breaking back into pleasure laced with pain. As soon as Dwight is back so is the unrelenting pace. Quiet groans and grunts escape Evans throat as ringlets of muscle spasm around him, hot and quick. Evan easily kicks Dwight's legs up a bit more, driving deeper into the boy. His body jerks and his eyes close fully, head fallen back onto the plastic mattress. His hands struggle to find anything to grip onto as he gets close for the second time. He starts to chatter. Little whispers of 'oh god's and 'fuck' spill from his mouth, only cut off by whimpers and moans. 

It's a pleasing thing to hear, and he gets to watch his boy unravel for the second time. He fucks him through it, soaking up another wave of emotion that plays out beautifully on the boys face. He does it three more times until the boy is a quivering mess. 

He's getting close, but the boys legs have fallen and he can do little more than whimper and hold tight to the plastic of the gurney. It doesn't take more than a soft rasp of Dwight's name to start up his chatter again, checking him back into the situation. It fills the room with a constant hum, mixing with the rattle of the wheels against the repetitive strain. That's when Evan notices him. At the door way, crouched close to the ground is the detective. He's pretty well out of sight, but his hand holds onto the door frame as he peeks around it. Evan had learned from his time in the fog to notice those little things, giving away an essentially completely hidden survivor. He also knows that the detective doesn't know he sees him by the fact he was still and not immediately fleeing. Evans thrusts slow a bit as he studies him. He couldn't see all of his face, but there wasn't much emotion in it at all. The man stared quietly, nothing to give anything away of what he thought. He was sure the other would report back to the others what he was seeing now, but it didn't really matter for him. The consequences would be for his boy, not Evan. If the man wanted to watch he'd give him something to report back on. 

His thrusts Speed back up, and he loops his arms under Dwight's knees, holding them tight. There's a slight change in pitch from the boy, confusion and sensitivity combined. Before Dwight can even lift his head Evan pulls his legs up, and uses his weight to push Dwight forward. As expected the boys body bends into itself and suddenly there's more room. The change sets Dwight back off, and his chatter starts again. The pace is quick and harsh, and it isn't long before one of the wheel breaks finally gives out and the edge of the Gurney hits the wall. 

The noise and jolt sends Dwight's eyes flying open, but Evan pays it no mind. Soon enough his eyes close again, though he lets out a small huff every time the medical bed hits the wall. Evan gets closer, and in a last ditch attempt to completely wreck the boy he leans closer to Dwight's face, completely squishing him. 

Dwight doesn't notice for a few seconds but opens his eyes as hot breath hits his face. 

"Dwight...." It's rough and quiet, but the jolt that runs through his boy makes him smirk. 

"Good boy..." He purrs at him, if that's what you could call it. It gets the same body reaction, though Evans delighted to see his boys face light up red and his eyes half open, a moan pulled from his throat. The boy can barely focus on anything, head lolling around with each thrust. That's when Evan slams into him hard, pressing his hips into Dwight's ass as his cock pours pulse after pulse into him. 

He gets to watch as his boy lets out a welp, squirming under his hold. His face changes quickly and repeatedly, mouth forming a little 'O' before his brows furrow and he bites his lip. His eyes flutter and a little breath escapes him, hands slowly releasing their hold on the bed. When Evan no longer holds up his legs they fall, and he nearly slides right off the plastic into the floor. Dwight trembles as he drags himself so he's laying stable, but that seems to be the extent of his energy. 

Evan pulls out and a little "nnh" escapes Dwight as he does. It isn't even a few seconds later he passes out, body goings completely limp. Satisfied, Evan grabs his buckle and clasps it back, though there wasn't anything he could do for the side he had ripped. The entity would fix it once the trial was done. As he gathers himself he notices they still have a visitor, but he's careful not to show his knowledge. He waits a few moments, taking a good look at his boy before turning quickly and swinging around the corner of the door frame. 

He catches the detective off guard, as when the man runs he obviously doesn't know where he's going. He doesn't get more than a few feet before Evan has him down and hooked. He's pleased as he watches the man scream, body curling up to protect his middle as if that would help. There's fear in his eyes, more than Evan had ever seen from the man before. It was a bit refreshing, but he has to wait for the man to die. Dwight would likely still be in the same spot he'd left him, but if the detective were to get off the hook Evan could lose him in an instant. 

So he waits. 

Finally the man starts to try to get off, and when he fails the entity eagerly swoops down to claim its prize. 

As Evan turns and heads back to the room he wonders if he'll be punished later. 

The entity didn't seem to mind when survivors ended their trial early, at least from his side, but not much was done this trial. That usually meant failure to please and punishment, but he'd gotten two kills for them out of the possible three. 

Hopefully it was enough. 

Dwight is right where he left him, though he's moved a bit in the time it took to wait out the detectives death. He seems to be only barely conscious as Evan picks him up, not bothering to grab any of his lower dressings. 

He carries him around, searching for the hatch and when he finds it he lowers the boy practically on top of it. He's lucky, and the boy seems aware enough, or at least has enough instinct, to slide into the opening. 

The hatch closes and Evan stands still as the world around him collapses. 

He's about to find out if his decisions were regrettable or not. 


	5. A Forgone Conclusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I just wanna say thanks For reading and following this story. Your patience has meant everything to me, and the comments during that Too-Long Break made me happy and helped kick my butt into gear.   
> A lot was going on in my life, and it still is but I’m more than happy to give this story an ending. Please let me know what you think, and if you want more fics like this, let me know! Thanks for doin what you do, and enjoy the last chapter!

He wished that he was dead. Wished that he'd died and rot long ago, next to his father. He begged to die thousand of times, screaming and choking on the smog that was so thick in the air he couldn't even see where the next blow would be from.

Sharp legs pierced his sides and head, shot through his arms and legs. Gutted him over and over but it always healed. It didn't bother avoiding the metal jutting from his back, a few times he found himself choking on his own blood rather than the smog, finding a curved bar pushed through his back and into his chest. His hands were too slick to remove it and like clockwork he felt the bar slink back into him, piercing through the healed skin on his back back to where it had originated.

He wished he could fall unconscious, but the hum in his mind sung too loud, disoriented him and threatened to crack his eardrums. He wanted to be done, to be thrown away, to die, anything to escape the never ending abuse. He wasn't in control though, and had no say in what was done with him.

So he was punished.

There was no escape from it, no relief, and no sign of an end. His mind tells him he can handle no more before it snaps but it continues long after that. When it stops it's all at once, leaving him in the quiet to scream and beg and crawl. He feels like a child again and he hates it.

He knows he has no control here, at the mercy of an entity that has none for him. He's left to scramble in the dark as his body burns itself right again. As the burn lessens a new burn starts up around him, adding a little extra sting. Skin on wood aches as he's burned back into the fog, and when it finally dissipates he has no more energy than to curl into a ball.

His body wracks with shivers against his will on the floor, breaths ragged as he struggles to hold what little he has left together. But misery loves company and the sound of footsteps echo on the wood, stopping beside him. Shame floods him but he can't do more than continue to lay there. Anger builds up under his skin next, anger at himself and the entity. When a hand touches him he jerks, fists clenching despite not being able to move enough to swing. The hand is removed and he believes it to the end of that until a foot is met with his shoulder, forcing him to roll.

Pain shoots through his body from his back and shoulder, but he's met with a familiar, displeased face. Phillip stands tall, eyes locked into his. Evan stares back, jaw clenched. Another foot, this time on his arm and much less hard. He lets out another growl and that seems to satisfy the man as he doesn't kick again, only watches. When Evan can move he sits up, though he's knows he's unable to stand to face the man.

Phillip crouches, poking his head closer as he observes. His mistake. He's in reaching distance now and Evan easily catches hold of the tree like mans cloak, yanking him forward. He fully intended on starting a fight even in his weakened state but the man hisses and bites down on his hand and the attempt is quickly cut short. Phillip is clearly not pleased and neither is Evan as they watch Evans bite burn back solid. He was stubborn as he was tall and refuses to leave Evan, even after the attempt at a fight. At best it annoys Evan, but he has no choice but to sit there.

Things slowly start coming back to Evan as Phillip waits, his mind clears a bit and he's able to shrug off some of the anger. He lets out a loud sigh, hands coming up to rub under his mask as his body adjusts back. He finally can focus enough to take notice of his being. No new shrapnel, but a few more unhealing gashes. He can deal with that. Next time though he doubts he'll be lucky, if he could even call what he survived lucky. Phillip seems to pick up on Evans state, and inches a bit closer to him again, though he's still out of range of being grabbed. Evan notices but doesn't bother to acknowledge. Instead he focuses on what he knows about the man.

He knows his name, that was something that never seemed to leave him. He frowns, trying his best to pull up anything other than a name and a face. At the sight of his legs he remembers the man once before, pulling bits of metal out of him. He's brought out of his search when the other decides to sit right beside him, nearly touching the shoulder he had kicked earlier. There's no expression on his face now, and he picks at his fingers idly. A rush comes back and Evan grabs his hand, almost earning him another bite, but he clumsily threads his fingers through the others until their hands were held. Phillip seems pleased at this, and squeezes his hand ever so gently.

Evan can do nothing more than watch him, not understanding why he'd do this but knowing it was something the other and him shared.

He'd take what he can get.

He remembers this is what brought him to make the mistake that earned him so much pain. Hope that two sacrifices would be enough to freely let his boy go. He gotten lax on the rules he'd set, he had been too focused on his own curiosity. He wouldn't make that mistake again. He's determined when the smoke starts to envelop him, and he looks at Phillip as it starts to burn him away. The mans eyes are sad, and he wants to return the squeeze but the first part that is burnt away is the hand holding his, separating them in a instant. It sends a deep ache in his chest but it's quickly replaced with a dull nothing. When the smog clears he's awaiting a trial.

There's a bit a relief when his boy isn't one of the ones picked for the trial. He could focus on making sure the entity was pleased, like a child trying to make up for a mistake after the fact. When the trial starts his mind doesn't wander. He's focused and brutal in his actions, and it leads him to an easy victory. There's no sign from the entity, and that was a good thing. He's pleased with himself even as he's turned immediately to another trial. This time though, his boy is there. Evan sees him before the others, and for a moment it's just him, standing wide eyed in the clearing. He feels like he's being taunted. Then the others burn in, all girls. The bumpkin and the healer acknowledge eachother, but the juvie barely gives notice to any of the others. Her eyes are on the tree line, harsh and cold. She seems determined, and Evan takes that into account as smoke circles around them and they all fade. When he appears again he's comforted by the sight of the farms. The open corn fields weren't very good for traps, but there was little around to hide the survivors. He starts with patrols, setting traps occasionally.

It isn't long before he runs into the juvie, and as he gives chase he's vaguely aware she doesn't seem to be too concerned with getting caught. He only manages to get a single hit when a generator goes off, and without hesitation she bee-lines for it. What she's doing only hits him when she waits for him to catch sight of her before sucking behind a wall. He turns quickly, heading towards the nearest generator only to find it quiet. The one on the other side goes off.

Time wasted, without anything to show for it he's quick to head for a different generator. He's lucky and catches the healer on the wrong side of a hay bale. The slick sound of flesh splitting calms him a bit, soothing his mind as he chases. She runs but he gains on her, and all it takes is one mistake and he's caught her. He hears the tell-tell sound of a generator being worked on as he carries her to a hook, and knows where to go next.

He catches sight of Dwight edging around a wall, but the juvie decides to stay put. Her mistake earns her not only a hit but the generator backfiring in her face. She crawls before he can pick her up, but she doesn't get anywhere before being put on her own hook with a nice view of the generator. For good measure he kicks it, satisfied with her watching it slowly stop chugging while she hangs. He turns to where he saw his boy slink off but he's not there, and he's not in the immediate area. He wasn't going to hook the boy, but he didn't want him to free the juvie. 

A whisper lets him know the healer has been saved. So he returns to where she was hooked, finding marks already fading as he gets close. He doesn't hear anything but that doesn't mean anything. He checks around walls and hay, only to be met with nothing. It's frustrating but he picks up a trap near the brick wall. Nobody's touched the juvie, so he continues his patrol. 

He finds a generator barely moving but he kicks it anyway and moves on. It takes him nearly a full circle before the juvie is saved, and he finally has another objective to tend to. He gets lucky and her rescuer nearly runs right into him. The bumpkin nearly trips over her own boots trying to turn, but she can't get away fast enough. She's down before she can even make it out of the corn. He doesn't pick her up though, instead focusing on finding the juvie. She was being too bold for his taste and it worried him. He was worried she would cause problems, and the quicker he could kill her the better. 

He doesn't find her but he does find his boy, hands paused in the guts of a generator. It was clear he wasn't sure if he should run or not. Evan gives him an answer by carving a chunk from his side. The boy takes off and Evan returns to where he left the bumpkin, surprised to find she hasn't moved. He hooks her and continues to search. Nearby another generator goes off, and he curses. He wasn't doing well, even if he wasn't doomed. The thought that this team might just send him back to the entity puts a little extra weight in his steps. He catches the healer and the juvie together, having decided to heal after the generator was lit. He's unlucky and hits the juvie a moment too late, and instead of going down she takes off injured. The healer goes the other direction, and he has to make a choice. He chooses the juvie, knowing a hard chase was ahead of him. She doesn't seem to expect it, and for a moment her run is erratic. Unfortunately it doesn't take her long to come up with a plan and she heads towards the shack. 

She flies through the door frame, eyes locked on the window. He knows what she's trying to do, but he doesn't reach it in time. His swing just barely misses her, and with a growl he's climbing through the window himself. He's aware she's going to do it again, so when he gets to the door frame he turns quickly to retrace his steps back to the window. As expected she's now on the same side he is, and she's left with only two choices. Make a run for it, or try to go back through the window. 

She does the latter, sealing her fate. She doesn't have any momentum to get through fast enough and he easily grabs her before she can pull her body over the frame. When he gets her on his shoulder he catches sight of the basement. A smile spreads across his face as he carries her towards it, down the steps and gets to place her on the back hook. 

The entity garbles in his mind, impatient and eager to have its prize. He leaves her to fight it off, pleaded with himself until a generator goes off. He only has one left to secure two kills, that is if the juvie dies in the basement. He's quick to get to work, search a bit frantic in his movements but he's paying attention. He finds a generator chugging strong and is forced to kick it. The area holds no survivors, meaning they were likely on their way to save the girl. 

He couldn't let that happen. 

He goes back in time to see both the bumpkin and the healer lurking outside the shack. The healer catches sight of him and runs but the bumpkin is already heading into the run down building. He catches up only as she frees the juvie, and manages to hit her. They both make a run for it, but he catches the bumpkin going back up the steps. He doesn't bother to pick her up, heart pounding at the thought of the other getting away. She leads him out of the shack, but there's not enough time for her to get away. 

When he downs her he's met with relief. He scoops her up, planning on returning to the basement but the flash of green catches his eye as he nears the door. It's a split second turn that ends up saving him the scratch of wood on skin and the loss of his hold on the girl, but now he has to round the entire building to reach the basement. As he enters the steps he catches the healer doing what she does best, but she doesn't have enough time to move before a swing knocks her down. 

As he hoists the juvie onto the hook he gets to see his work laid out before him. They're both crawling, but neither would be able to make it far enough away. He picks up the bumpkin first, setting her on the same hook the juvie had been moments before. All that was left was to retrieve the healer. Or so he believes, as the last generator goes off in the distance and the healer pushes off the ground and takes off into a sprint. 

There's a desperate look in her eyes as she flees, Evan close on her tail. He curses his boy, but he knows the other has a part to play the same as him. He follows her all the way to an exit gate, but it's not open and he's too close for her to even try to open it. He carries her to the nearest hook, letting a breath escape him as he sets her on it. 

He suspects if they hadn't all been in the same area to save the juvie it wouldn't have turned out this way. It nags at him even as he searches for his boy. He catches wind of a gate being powered, but by the time he gets to it the gate is open and his boy stands in the center of the exit. There would be no time for Evan with the entity eager to end this trial. He stops at the gate doors, eyes locked on Dwight. The boy stands frozen, uncertainty in his eyes. Evan scowls, lifting his arm to point towards the campfire burning brightly in the distance. There was no reason for the boy to stick around with the world around him collapsing already. He takes the hint and turns to leave, leaving Evan feeling unsatisfied even if he's proved his worth. He's not sure why he's returned to the shack, but he's relieved to find it empty. He supposes the two trials were to make sure he could still perform to the entity's expectations, but like everything involving the entity's actions it was a guess. He leans out the window, gazing out into the dark nothing. Sometimes he thinks he can see movement, other times glimpses of light flashing like it's moving behind trees. He'd only once ventured out there, but the air was thin and movement was heavy. He barely got anywhere before fear turned him back. He'd seen Phillip come out of the dark before, seen him disappear into it as well. He wonders why the man was given passage and he wasn't. It's not like he could ask, he started struggling to speak basic sentences long ago and even if he could get the question across it would be met with silence. The only noises the man made were throaty, gargled noises, even when he first arrived. The longer he stares into the void the more his mind wanders, pointless things he has no answers to and no way to get an answer. Thoughts are formed, abandoned, reformed and once again abandoned for a new train of thought. He isn't aware of how long long he's been drifting until a cold wind hits his face. All at once he's alert again, arms indented from hanging out the window and back aching from the bent position. That's when he catches sight of something new. At first he thinks it his imagination, or a trick in the dark. But the shapes holds solid, traversing through the trees. They're human shaped but there's many of them, moving like a pack. It's enough to send a shiver down Evans spine and something tells him the pack is bad news. He doesn't get the chance to study them further though, as the entity calls and he's wrapped in dark mist. Before he's taken he sees the pack stop, four silhouettes barely visible across the way. 

He's greeted with a trial, seemingly normal. He notes his boy is once again there, along with the runner and the saboteur. At first he thinks the man in the far back is the fighter, but as he gazes closer he realizes while he looks strikingly similar from afar his features do differ a bit from the brute. The way he moves and looks around is different than the others waiting for the trial and Evan wonders if perhaps this is his first trial. He's curious as to how the other will behave if so. He'd have to think of a name for the man. 

He's pondering what to call him when the trial begins. He's pleased to find he's put on his own turf, and even more pleased to have been placed high up in the office of the foundry. He easily moves through the door onto the balcony that overlooks the area. When he doesn't see anyone he knows they must be on the other side of the large building. The jump down is easy, and he's glad the entity either doesn't know about the human body enough to know the fall would normally break bones, or that it just doesn't care. 

He rounds the corner and begins his patrol as always. There's lots of good trap placement to be found, and he takes the opportunity to get some of them set. He's heading to pick up another trap when he hears something scrape and a heavy fall. As he gets close he's greeted with a wonderful sight. The man is picking himself up off the dirt, having tried to scale the wall. 

He finds it amusing, something he'd only witnessed a few times and always with new faces. They'd get to the top, and seemingly be unable to hold on any longer, slipping and falling to the dirt. He was sure if he left the man alone he would try again with the same results, but Evan has a job to do. The way the man freezes when Evan approaches, cleaver in hand, is satisfying. He doesn't know if he should run or stay, and Evan can see on his face how fast his options fly through his head. He doesn't fully understand and it's with joy Evan shows him what he can expect. When his blade collides with his shoulder the man doubles over, running erratically to try to escape. 

He has no chance. 

The man doesn't know where he is, and Evan doubts he knows what he should be doing if he didn't even know if he should run from him or not. It's not long before Evan has him down and slung over his shoulder. He's hooked and a new voice sounds through the trees. As much as Evan wants to study him, he can't. He needs to keep searching so he does. 

His search turns up a generator chugging away, and as he kicks it he pretends to not see the flash of red braids behind a tree. He starts like he's going to keep patrolling but quickly doubles back, catching the girl red handed. It earns her a good slice, and she takes off, weaving her way out of the trees and away from both the generator and the hooked man. He follows, paying attention to where she's looking and the way her feet turn. The runner was smart, he knew that. Many times she'd baited him into a long chase, taking up his time and giving her team breathing room to work. 

Before the fog he might have respected that mentality, but now it made him weary. He was suspicious of the directions she picked while she ran, and while she couldn't know everything that was going on with her fellows, she always seemed to do a pretty good job of leading him away. She's not so lucky this time, and he catches her as she rounds a corner too wide, feet slipping in the dirt. 

She's a good distance away from a hook but he gets her there with no trouble and moves on. He doubles back to check her generator, giving it another kick for good measure. Nobody has gotten the man yet, but he guesses with the runner immobilizers someone would be coming for him soon. 

He knows his boy likely wouldn't be the one to man up and take the risk, but the saboteur tended to stick to the shadows and leave everything to the rest of the team. One or both of them would have to do something though, or the man would meet the claws of the entity for the first time. The new ones rarely expected it, and often didn't catch it before it killed them. 

A generator popping a little ways off let's him know the area of at least one of the two men. He heads toward the area, keeping an eye out for scratches and any movement that might give away the boys. He's just about to the generator when the entity lets him know the man has been saved. They'd be after the girl next. He plans to catch them as she's freed, or at least be near enough to follow their trail. He's satisfied when he makes it in time to catch the saboteur pulling her off. 

She takes off and the boy turns right into him, earning himself a cut. He briefly thinks about going after the girl to get her out of the way, but the scruffy man doesn't look like he's in the best of shape, and in the end he picks him to chase. It's a short chase, the man relies heavily on not being found to the point he barely has any experience in escaping a chase. He's settled on the same hook he freed the runner from. 

Another generator goes off not too far from him. It was much too quick, and he guesses his boy and the new man were working together. Annoyance floods his system as he weaves through walls towards it. A scream as a trap snaps shut eases the feeling. He gets line of sight of the victim, pace picking up. That's when he notices his boy, rushing back and grabbing at the mans leg. 

He's close but not close enough to stop him and anger sparks through his body. 

That is, until Dwight looks up and sees him. 

His eyes widen under his glasses and just like that he's gone from the man, leaving him trapped. He disappears through the mist, and Evan claims his prize. 

The man manages to catch the entity to Evans surprise, but his hands slip and then he's gone. Uneventful. The saboteur still hangs on the hook, but he remembers the girl escaping in the opposite direction. She could have healed her wounds by now, or be working towards powering the gates. Only two generators were done, one dead. It was fine, but Evan wants to end the trial as fast as possible. So he seeks out the runner. 

He passes the saboteur on his way, and for good measure he traps one of the entryways to him. He doubts it'll catch anyone, but it puts his mind at ease. The man could be a damn nuisance if he were to get off and disappear back into the shadows. He finds a generator halfway and kicks it, but he doesn't see any blood or scratches around. He lazily searches the area before moving on. 

If they were nearby they'd fix what he's done and he'd catch them that way, but as he get further from the gen no clank of it being touched sounds. He'd double back later, but he needed to check the generator in the foundry. It always seemed to be a favorite of the survivors, and usually he'd have trouble with keeping them off of it. 

He finds it chugging halfheartedly as well. That's when he notices the small shift of a locker. Hiding then. He doesn't see any blood, but he definitely saw the door shut. He's surprised to find his boy when he opens it. He yells, winching as Evan drags him out of his hiding spot. At that moment the entity urges him to catch the saboteur, having been finally unhooked. 

It's frustrating but he has no choice but to dump the boy on the ground. He hits hard and Evan can't find the will to care. He kicks the generator and leaves him on the floor to find the other two. When he gets to the scene he sees neither hide nor hair of the two, and curses himself for not staying closer. Finding the man would be incredibly difficult, and actually catching the girl would be infuriating. His frustration only grows as another gen goes off. It's the one he passed, but had decided to not pay attention to. 

His blood boils at the thought that he passed right by them. He's beyond pissed as he reaches the lit generator, latching onto a trail of scratches. They branch out, one heading deeper into the wooded area and one heading off to the right. He sees blood mixed with one trail and decides on that one. He follows it until it stops and then he listens. There's not a sound to be heard but there's a few splashes of blood that haven't been absorbed by the ground yet. He follows them and find out why there wasn't a sound. The saboteur takes off as soon as Evan approaches the tree, and Evan is forced to chase. 

The boy seems to have his head a little more settled on his shoulders this time, avoiding a few good swings from his blade. He's actually putting in effort as he runs, jaw set tight to seal any sounds from spewing out of his mouth. His silence almost saves him, but his jacket doesn't blend with the wooden walls and Evan catches him around a corner. As he falls he takes the pallet down with him, and Evan gets a face full of wood and nail. 

His chest stings as he smashes it, reaching down to hoist the quiet boy onto his shoulder. He kicks and pounds on his back but he's not far even a few paces from a hook. Almost in sync, the man cries out and the sound of a generator lighting up sounds. One generator left, one dead. He feels fear spike down his spine as he rushes towards the foundry. His mind told him he was going to fail, going to be punished. When he doesn't find any trace of his boy or the girl his breath quickens. 

His search around the area is desperate, hoping to find anything at all to help him lessen the blow he knew would come if he failed. 

He finds no traces. 

He does though, hear the boom from far off, signaling the death of the saboteur. He can at least be thankful for that. He's sure the man had given up, which meant the others weren't around to save him. He does the only thing he knows and goes on patrol. 

He nearly completes a round before he finds anyone, and even then to his disappointment it's his boy. Dwight crouches beside a barely ticking generator, eyes locked on Evans movements as he gets closer. The boy waits until Evan is within reaching distance to try and flee, but he's not fast enough. Evan manages to grab his arm and yank, throwing the boy down in the dirt. He wants so desperately for this to be easy, for once for the boy to betray his peers. "WHERE IS SHE" it comes out cracked and ragged and low, barely recognizable. He's filled with hate even as the boy looks up at him with fear in those big eyes. 

The boys mouth opens, then closes tight, but even in the low light Evan tracks his eyes to the right. He turns to the nearest generator in that direction, but only gets a few feet before it lights up and the wail of exit gates goes off. Dwight scrambles up and disappears in the mist. He doesn't have time to catch the boy, the girl would be on the move and if he was going to make it through this trial he'd have to catch her before she could get away. He goes for the gate closer to the last generator that was popped, hoping with all his being he gets there before she could get out. 

He's met with an untouched gate, doors firmly locked shut and resting in silence. Fear makes him spin on his heels to get to the second gate as quickly as possible but even a good distance off he can hear the alarm and clank of heavy metal moving. He spots the girl a little ways ahead of him, not quite to the gate yet but running with determined steps. She's too far ahead of him, and he watches as she turns the corner into the gate and out of sight. His boy follows after her and he feels his heart drop. 

Feels fear like he hasn't felt in years, centuries, forever maybe. He's failed and that thought and what's to come ricochets around in his mind, screaming at him. When he reaches the door she's standing just before the barrier. Dwight stands ahead of her and as he comes into sight he turns to leave. Evan does the only thing he can think of. He snaps. 

The sound is loud and foreign, echoes off the pillars and stops Dwight in his tracks. He turns to look back, to the girls confusion. Evans heart pounds as he stands there, and with a heavy breath he does it again, this time pointing down at his side. He's unsure if it'll even work, freedom was so close and he knew the control he had over the situation wasn't really his. His control lied in rather or not his boy gave it to him, and there was nothing he could do about it but wait. What felt like ages passed before his boy looks back at the runner before taking a step towards him. If the girl was confused before, now she's angry. She waves Dwight towards her, and when he doesn't comply her hands go up. His boy is nearly in arm length of Evan when she gives up and leaves him behind, disappearing towards the safety of the campfire. Dwight stands in front of him now, looking up at him with those big eyes. Evans mind settles and his heart slows. He stands above the boy and does what he has to. The boy barely struggles when Evan picks him up, but as he gets closer to the hook he starts to fight. It's no use and Evan hoists him up onto it, hooking his boy for the first time in a long time. The scream that rings out is heart-wrenching and as the boys body twists up In pain Evan watches. He catches sight of his boys face and the emotions shifting oh so quickly across it. Betrayal, fear, sadness, pain. They play out like a Beautiful light show. Evan takes it all in, and reaches a hand up to cup the boys face. Tears leave a clean trail down the boys face and for a moment, a split second his boy leans into the touch. It's ruined when his brain catches up, and he jerks his head away from him. Evan doesn't mind, but as the entity makes itself known Evan takes the boys hand instead. He holds in as the spider like legs Evan knows too well pierce Dwight's body, jolting it on the hook with the force. His boy made a a sad wet sound as it goes all the way through, hand tightening in Evans grasp. Evan hold on as his lifted, and is only torn apart when his boys body no longer is physical. He watches as he Ascends, watches the creature sweep him up and away from the trial. 

He's left alone and he doesn't feel anything anymore. He had no choice, only one could leave. He'd give up his boy to save his own skin. He feels satisfied, and relieved as he's burned away from the trial.

A job well done. 

He doesn't see his boy for a few trials after that, and they goes as usual. When we finally sees his boy again he looks like a wreck. 

In the first trial the boy avoids him, and Evan leaves him alone. The others die and his boy gets out without Evan having even seen him, but as times goes on his boy starts searching him out. 

He gets in Evans way, taking hits and making bad decisions. Evan leaves him on the ground a few times but when he gets up he's back to being in the way. He becomes a pest, not in the sense that Evan couldn't catch him, but by constantly hovering around him, stepping between him and the other survivors. He disarms his traps as soon as Evan can set them and Evan is forced to down him over and over. 

He bleeds out more often, and As even studies his face he sees nothing. 

He's broken his boy. 

It gets worse as time goes on, and Evan hooks him a few times in frustration. The boy would rather die with the others than live, and it shows. He doesn't wait to be saved, just struggles until the entity takes him away. 

Evan can see it in his eyes, in his body and on his face. 

His boy has given up. 

He's seen it countless times before, and he knows soon his boy will be gone, never to be seen again in a trial. There's no emotion to be studied, no glint in the boys eyes anymore. He's worn and tired and blank. 

Just like Evan. 

He doesn't feel anything for the boy. He no longer holds any curiosity to him, no longer draws Evans eyes. He can't find the will to care that his boy- no, The boy, Will be gone soon. Evan does what he does best, continues like he was before Dwight caught his eye. 

The boy will disappear, and be replaced. 

He knows there'll be more to come.


End file.
